Maelstrom
by strwbrygrl77
Summary: def   N  a restless, disordered, or tumultuous state of affairs. "She's always been there between us, Marshall, and I'm afraid she always will be." For Marshall, he would always choose Mary. Part 3 of "We're having a baby" series.


**A/N: So the S4 finale of IPS is tonight and I debated about whether or not I should post this until after it aired - but I decided to go ahead and do it anyway. It doesn't contain any spoilers (I don't think) unless Marshall and Abigail really do break up tonight! This quick update is in part due to my muses who kept me awake until I finished and in part due to my readers who said I wasn't writing fast enough. So enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"<em>The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn."<em>

_-David Russell_

* * *

><p><strong>(July 19<strong>**th****)**

"Are you sure you don't want a bite? I'll share."

I held up my hand to ward off the chocolate covered French fry being waved under my nose, but a couple drops of ice cream fell onto my fingers anyway. "That's ok, Mer. I wouldn't dream of depriving you – are you sure you cleared this with Dr. Reese?"

Jade eyes narrowed to laser beam slits as she popped the fry in her mouth and munched in contentment. "Dr. Reese said I could have one junk food item a week now, Doofus."

I pointed to her McDonald's cone and French fries. "I count two."

"I have to make up for lost time, don't I?"

I pursed my lips. "Did you tell her about the Arby's fries I snuck you?"

"No! And that doesn't count because it was a national holiday and that was your slip-up not mine," she crowed in triumph as she swiped another fry through her swirled ice cream.

I tried not to shudder at her crazy food cravings or her logic – or think about what the salt in those fries would do to her blood pressure. "You're going to put your feet up and drink a big glass of water when you get home, right? To offset the sodium content-"

"Marshall! You're off duty now. Geez, relax. Go get your own ice cream or something." She huffed in frustration. "Are you ever going to tell me what Dr. Reese said to you that made you so moody?"

"_**Moody**_? I am not moody, Mer."

"Whatever you say, Doofus."

Mary had joined us in Dr. Reese's office before I could give an answer about whether or not I would continue to live with Mary throughout her pregnancy. She and I had chatted with her doctor for a few more minutes and then left. I still had yet to give an answer – and I didn't know what it was going to be. I needed to talk to Abigail because she was my girlfriend and I owed her that much. But the truth of the matter was, I hadn't made my own mind up on the matter. I knew that Brandi and Jinx were waiting in the wings to swoop in and take care of Mary. If that happened, her blood pressure would definitely go up, not down, and a medical emergency would occur. But if I-

"Marshall!" Mary shouted at me.

I jumped guiltily. "What?"

"What's wrong with you? You've been quiet ever since Dr. Reese's office – is there something wrong with me or the baby?"

I heard the underlying fear in her voice and mentally kicked myself. Of course she would think my silence meant something was wrong with the baby. "No, Mer, Dr. Reese said you're doing great." I watched as her shoulders slumped a bit in relief. "But you do still need to take it easy and-" I paused.

"And?" she prompted, swiping another fry through her chocolate ice cream.

I rephrased what I was going to say. "She was under the impression that our living arrangement was permanent."

Her eyebrows rose. "Oh?" she shrugged. "Well, she misunderstood, is all."

"Yeah, but when I told her that, she wasn't happy – she said she wants someone living with you until the baby is born, just in case."

"Just in case of what?"

"Just in case something happens, Mer. Surely she mentioned to you the possibilities?"

"Yes, but you both make it sound like I'm an invalid!"

I raised my hands in defense as I saw her hackles rising. "Hey, I know better than anyone that Mary Shannon can take care of herself – but will you slow down and take it easy for the next few months until you deliver?"

"Dr. Reese has basically ordered me to – so I don't have much choice, do I? But you've already given up two weeks of your life for me, Marshall, I'll not ask you to give up any more."

"Mer, you didn't ask me the first time, remember? Maybe I-"

"No. This is my mess and I have to fix it myself. You've been great to help me out so far but the rug rat and I will take it from here."

* * *

><p>Despite Mary's statement to the contrary, I knew that she couldn't handle everything by herself. At the very least, she still needed someone to take her blood pressure and Oscar needed to get out for some daily exercise.<p>

I was used to getting up and going for a run before work. It wasn't any trouble to set my alarm for twenty minutes earlier so that I would have time to drive to Mary's house and collect Oscar. The trouble was explaining my new morning regimen to Abigail.

She blinked at me sleepily from the bed as I pulled on my sweatpants. "Is it time for your run already?"

I sighed as I slipped my sweatshirt over my head. "I'm headed over to Mary's to get Oscar. I'm going to be taking him along on my runs until she finds him a home."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her sit up and run a hand through her dark hair. "Marshall, how long are you going to keep doing this?"

"Doing what?" I asked, as I slipped my wallet and keys into a pocket, and looked for my running shoes.

"She's not a witness who's had to start over with nothing and yet it seems like she calls you for every little thing she needs."

I located my shoes under the dresser and bent down to grab them. "Abigail, she's my partner and she needs me to walk her dog because she can't."

"That's all it is?"

I looked up from tying my shoes. "Well, I'll also take her blood pressure and make sure she gets breakfast-" I broke off when Abigail began shaking her head.

"Marshall, she has a family in town waiting to help her-"

"You don't understand, Abigail. Her family has been a source of stress all her life and will not be beneficial in keeping Mary calm. She needs-"

"The father of her child – why do I get the feeling you've stepped into that role?"

I recoiled in shock. "I – I haven't." I swallowed and looked at the clock. "Look, I have to go. We can talk tonight, all right?" I leaned across the bed and brushed my lips across hers. "Have a good day."

I fully expected Mary to still be sleeping when I got to her house so I didn't knock or ring the bell; I just used my key and let myself in. When I turned from locking the front door behind me, I was met with the sight of a sleep tousled Mary pointing her glock straight at my heart.

"Shit, Marshall," she swore softly as she clicked on the safety and pointed the gun at the floor. "You could have called first. What the hell are you doing here?"

"I came to take Oscar for our morning run," I said and smiled as the dog bounded to my side, his tail wagging eagerly.

She grunted and scratched her belly. "Good – take the mutt and get out. And don't wake me in your usual annoying manner when you get back," she said with a threatening glare as she stumbled back down the hall.

"I thought you said you didn't need me anymore!" I called after her.

There was a pause and then I heard her muffled voice yell back, "I don't, but the mongrel does!"

* * *

><p><strong>(July 29<strong>**th****)**

A week passed in relative peace and quiet. My new morning routine of rising early, driving to Mary's house to collect Oscar for a morning run, and then returning to her house to take her blood pressure, eat breakfast, shower, and drive to work together was working out well. At least for the two of us it was.

But Abigail and I had not seen each other all week. I had tried to call her at work but she was always busy and away from her desk. I texted her many times but she never responded to the messages. I knew that she was hurt and angry because I was still spending quite a bit of time taking care of Mary. I knew that she didn't understand our partnership, our friendship, our relationship. Hell, half the time I didn't understand it myself so how could I expect her to? But I had genuinely come to care for Abigail and I didn't want to hurt her- well, not anymore than I already had.

By Friday, I was tense with worrying about whether Abigail had been in an accident and no one had bothered to tell me. When she finally answered my text and told me she would be willing to meet me for dinner, I couldn't help the enormous grin that spread across my face.

"She finally answered you, huh?"

I looked up to see Mary smiling at me from her desk and nodded.

"Well good, maybe now you won't be moping around here looking like someone kicked you in the-"

"MARY!" I choked out her name, sputtering in surprise, feeling the heat creep up my neck.

She chortled with laughter and returned to her stack of paperwork. "You know, Aunt Brandi is taking Oscar for the weekend – so you don't have to worry about him getting his exercise. Why don't you whisk your girlfriend away?"

My mouth dropped open in surprise. Mary didn't like Abigail – she made no secret of it, yet here she was playing matchmaker. "Who's going to take your blood pressure?"

She rolled her eyes. "I think I'll survive if you skip a day or two." She grimaced and rubbed her belly. "I'll probably just sleep – and eat."

"Mer-" I said threateningly.

"I'll be good! You've stocked the freezer with the good stuff, remember? Stuff that's healthy but I actually like, remember?"

I smiled. "You're sure?"

She scowled at me. "Don't make me shoot you – because you know I will."

* * *

><p><strong>(July 31<strong>**st****)**

I whisked Abigail up to a remote B-and-B in the mountains for the weekend. We had a nice relaxing time together but we avoided talking about the elephant in the room.

On the drive back Sunday afternoon, Abigail broke the silence and told me that she felt like Mary had always been the third person in our relationship.

I glanced at her briefly before returning my eyes to the road. "I don't understand."

She sighed. "She's always been there between us, Marshall, and I'm afraid she always will be."

"She's my partner, Abigail. We work ten, sometimes twelve hour days. How can you not get close to someone in that amount of time?"

"You're not hearing what I'm saying – you love her, Marshall."

"Of course I do – she's my best friend."

She shook her head. "No, you're in love with her."

I bit back the words that sprang to my lips – the denial that came so easily because I always hid my feelings for Mary Shannon down deep inside. "Abigail, I-"

"Don't, Marshall, ok? Your silence just now spoke louder than any words you could possibly say."

I flinched at the hurt and the accusations I heard in her voice. At the moment, I felt lower than the sludge one scrapes off the bottom of shoes. The miles clicked by in uncomfortable silence and neither of us spoke again until we were approaching Albuquerque.

"Thank you for this weekend, Marshall," Abigail whispered. "I had a really good time – even if it was-" she broke off, clearing her throat.

"I'm sorry, Abigail."

I saw her shrug a shoulder out of the corner of my eye as my cell phone rang. Glancing at the number, I saw it was Mary. I didn't want to pick up with Abigail in the car but fearing it was an emergency, I clicked the button on my hands free headset.

"Hey, what's up?"

_Silence._

My forehead wrinkled in concern. "Mer, are you there?"

Abigail's head swiveled my direction at the sound of my partner's name.

"Mary, answer me!"

"_Marshall?" she panted. "Something's wrong-"_

"Where are you?" I asked as I pushed the accelerator to the floor.

"_At home-" she groaned._

"What happened? Is it the baby?"

"_I'm bleeding – OW!"_

"Hold on – I'm coming!" I glanced at the mileage sign as the car flew past it. "I'll be there in ten minutes. Keep talking – Mer, are you there?"

"_It hurts," she panted_.

"I know, I know. Hold on, I'm coming."

* * *

><p>For the second time in less than a month, it felt like I couldn't breathe until I lay eyes on my partner and saw for myself that she was all right. When I finally crashed through her front door and saw her, the breath left my lungs and my feet felt like they were nailed to the floor.<p>

She was curled up in the fetal position on the floor in her hallway, halfway between her bedroom and the arch into the living room. Her cell phone lay on the floor beside her as both hands were wrapped around her lower abdomen, her face a mask of pain. But it was the pool of blood that was visible underneath her that made me pause and feel faint.

Her eyes lifted and met mine, and I had never, ever in our eight years of partnership seen her look so scared. "Marshall-" she panted.

I was by her side in an instant, cradling her face in my hands, some small part of me registering the fact that her hair was damp, like she had just recently taken a shower. "Mer, what happened?"

"I felt – dizzy – and I fell – " she groaned and doubled over again.

I pulled her into me, as my eyes did a quick scan to see if there were any other injuries from her fall. I noticed that her right ankle looked swollen but I didn't think it was broken. Waiting until Mary sagged against me in exhaustion I whispered, "We've got to get you to the hospital."

She groaned. "I don't think I can walk. My ankle-"

I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "It's ok, I've got you." As I stood, I swept her up into my arms.

"Marshall, no, the blood-" she protested weakly, her head falling to my shoulder as I headed for the front door.

I looked down at her in disbelief. "You honestly think I'm worried about a little blood getting on my clothes?" I chuckled mirthlessly. "It won't be the first time I've had your blood on me, Mer."

I felt another cramp seize her body and Mary's arms tightened around my neck.

"But I swear to God one of these days, it's going to be the last."

* * *

><p>Dr. Reese was called to the ER as soon as we arrived and I was kicked out shortly thereafter. I didn't want to go and Mary didn't want me to go but the doctor was insistent.<p>

"Please, Mr. Mann. We have to examine her and the baby. I promise you we'll come and get you as soon as we know what's going on."

So I was left to pace the waiting room like an expectant father – because even though I had denied it when Abigail said I had stepped into that role, I was sick of pretending. Sick of pretending that I wasn't in love with my partner. Sick of pretending that I wouldn't step into the husband and father role for real if Mary even gave me a hint of encouragement.

"Here."

I turned in surprise to see Abigail holding out a steaming cup of coffee, a sad smile on her face. I took it from her with a small nod of thanks and collapsed into a chair. "I'm so sorry, Abigail. You don't need to be here. I could call you a cab to take you home – this must be torture for you to sit here with me."

She sighed. "I don't hate her, Marshall. I'm genuinely concerned for her and the baby. You're the one in hell. The woman you love is in there – and you're out here, waiting."

I shrugged. "I've been here before."

"But in the line of duty, it's different. There's a job to do, someone to blame, a perp to chase – in these situations you feel so helpless!" Abigail angrily swiped a tear away.

"Hey," I leaned forward and placed a hand on her knee. "Why do I get the feeling you've been here before?"

"Because I have – and I didn't do a damn thing about it until it was too late," she said shakily, more tears escaping. "That's why even though it hurts like hell, I can let you go, Marshal Marshall Mann. Just don't screw it up, ok? Tell her you love her before it's too late and don't let her walk away."

I shook my head. "Mary doesn't love me like that."

Abigail laughed. "Of course she does – the only problem is she's just as scared as you are, sugar bug." She leaned forward and kissed my cheek. "You take care of yourself, ok?"

I nodded dumbly, unable at that moment to say anything. She laughed again and got up, only to nearly be bowled over by Brandi and Jinx crashing through the waiting room doors.

"MARSHALL!" Jinx screamed. "Where's my baby? How is she? How's the baby? Oh my God, she didn't lose it, did she? I should have been there – and where were you? I thought you were staying with her!"

"Mom, calm down! Marshall was the one who found her and brought her to the hospital!" Brandi yelled back.

"Why didn't she call you or me? We're her family!" Jinx sobbed.

"Mom, I'm sure Mary was disoriented and just pushed speed dial-"

"So, his number is higher than mine? A co-worker's number takes priority over her own mother?"

"He's not just her co-worker, mom! He's her best friend, for crying out loud!"

I had resumed my pacing, the yelling of the Shannon drama train had escalated my own blood pressure to the point where I couldn't sit still anymore. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Abigail was still standing by the door, her mouth hanging slightly open in shock at the childish display in front of her. I caught her eye and rolled mine, shrugging my shoulders in silent apology. She came close to me and whispered,

"These women are Mary's sister and mother?"

I nodded.

She shook her head. "You're right, I didn't understand before – but I'm getting the picture now." She patted my arm. "You take good care of her, Marshall, her and the baby." And with one last look of disgust over her shoulder, Abigail left, nearly bumping into Peter on his way in.

"Hey, could you two please lower your voices? We're in a hospital – people are trying to rest, recover from surgery, that sort of thing?" Peter pleaded, his arms going around Brandi's waist and drawing her to his side.

Brandi buried her face in Peter's neck, sniffling. Jinx dug a tissue out of her purse and retreated to a corner of the room to sob into it. Peter asked me if I had heard anything, but when I shook my head, the lovebirds went and sat next to Jinx and tried to engage her in quiet conversation while I resumed pacing.

It was another forty-five minutes before Dr. Reese came into the waiting room with a very grim face.

"How's Mary?" I asked.

"She's resting."

"How's the baby?" Jinx asked.

"Can we see her?" Brandi asked.

"Please let me see my baby – I've been so worried!" Jinx pleaded.

Dr. Reese frowned and looked at me.

"Perhaps we should all sit down?" I asked and Dr. Reese nodded.

When we were all seated in a semi-circle, it was Peter who asked Dr. Reese what had happened to Mary.

"Early this afternoon, Mary experienced some dizziness and blurred vision as a result of her toxemia that caused her to lose her balance and slip when she was getting out of the shower. She hit her lower abdomen on the lip of the tub and sprained her right ankle." Dr. Reese looked at me and I nodded.

"I noticed her ankle when I found her – she said she couldn't put weight on it."

"It's a bad sprain, but it's not broken, fortunately. At the time, Mary thought her ankle was her only injury. It wasn't until late afternoon that she began experiencing the bleeding and severe cramps and called Mr. Mann."

I nodded again. "I was on my way back from the mountains-" I caught Jinx's glare and felt the need to explain. "Abigail and I had gone away for the weekend at Mary's insistence – it was actually her idea. But I was always available by phone and I got to her house within ten minutes of her call."

Dr. Reese nodded. "And it's good thing. Mary had been losing amniotic fluid from a small tear that occurred when she fell, along with the bleeding and cramps."

Jinx and Brandi began crying again and I felt like someone had knocked the wind from my lungs.

"The baby?" I whispered. "How is he?"

Dr. Reese smiled. "He's a fighter, Mr. Mann – he's holding his own for now."

"It's a boy?" Jinx gasped.

I shut my eyes in defeat. Mary was going to kill me when she heard that I had let the cat out of the bag to her family.

Dr. Reese nodded. Jinx and Brandi threw their arms around each other and squealed.

"What happens now?" I asked, ignoring them.

"Well, Mary will stay in the hospital a couple of days for observation and then I will release her into a family member's care for the rest of her pregnancy, which will be mandatory bed rest, no exceptions or negotiations this time." Dr. Reese and I shared a private smile, knowing that Mary would fight like crazy to return to work as soon as she regained her strength. But I could tell that Dr. Reese wasn't going to budge on the issue.

Jinx and Brandi immediately began fighting over who would be taking care of Mary for the rest of her pregnancy. Brandi insisted that she and Peter were the obvious choice since they had a big house and help came in twice a week to do light cleaning. Jinx was just as adamant that she was the obvious choice because she was Mary's mother and no one could take care of Mary better than her own mother.

Dr. Reese watched the spirited debate with widening eyes and growing dismay until I finally put my fingers in my mouth and blew an ear-piercing whistle. All chatter immediately ceased and both women looked at me in shock.

"I will be staying with Mary."

Brandi smiled and nodded while Jinx made an unladylike snort. "You? You're not family."

Dr. Reese interjected. "But as Mary's emergency medical contact, Mr. Mann definitely qualifies."

A nurse poked her head into the waiting room. "Excuse me, Dr. Reese, but Mary Shannon has been asking for Mr. Mann for the last ten minutes and is getting most impatient."

I grinned as I stood to my feet. "Please excuse me, but I never keep a lady waiting – especially a pregnant one."

* * *

><p>Mary's room was empty when I arrived and for a moment, I panicked until I noticed that the bathroom door was shut tight. Breathing a sigh of relief, I moved to get a closer look at the image frozen on the ultrasound screen. With a shaking finger, I traced the outline of the baby in Mary's womb, letting the tears fall unchecked down my cheeks.<p>

There was a clatter from behind the bathroom door, followed by a thump and then I heard Mary say, "Fuck!"

"Are you all right in there?" I asked as I moved towards the door.

"I'm fine! I just forgot about my ankle and tried to stand up like a normal person."

I heard more scrambling sounds followed by another thud. "Mer? Are you sure you don't need help?"

There was a moment of silence before she answered me. "I suppose you better – I dropped my crutches and now I can't reach them."

I bit back a grin as I opened the door to see her sitting on the floor. "Mary! Did you fall?"

"Not exactly – I was reaching for my crutches after my ankle gave out and I sort of slid to the floor."

I shook my head as I reached down and helped her to her feet, being careful to keep weight off her bad ankle. "Do you want to use your crutches to get back to bed?"

She shook her head. "No – you've always been my crutch, doofus." She grinned up at me as I rolled my eyes and looped her arm around my neck.

It was awkward with the height difference and her belly for her to hop on one foot so after two steps, I stopped her.

"This is ridiculous," I sighed and swung her up into my arms amid her protests.

"Marshall! You're going to break your back if you keep carrying me like this."

"You're not that heavy, Mer."

Her only response was to hit me on the shoulder.

"Is that any way to treat your roommate?" I asked as I lowered her gently to the bed and fixed the blankets to cover her legs.

She looked up at me in surprise. "Marshall, you didn't?"

I quirked my eyebrow at her. "Would you rather I step aside and let Brandi or Jinx take my place? They were still duking it out in the waiting room when I left-" I motioned to the door and she caught my hand.

"Sit down, Marshall." I let her pull me down to sit beside her on the bed. "You know that you're my first choice, my only choice for a roommate for the rest of my pregnancy. But I can't ask it of you – you've already done so much for me, at great personal cost to yourself and your relationship with Abigail."

"You're not asking me – I'm volunteering. As to my relationship with Abigail, well, I'm afraid that bridge has already been burned."

Mary pulled her hand away from mine in surprise. "What do you mean?"

I shrugged. "We broke up."

"When?"

"This afternoon, just before you called."

I could see the questions in her eyes but for some reason, she didn't ask them and I didn't volunteer any more information. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

I nodded but said nothing, watching her face instead as she grimaced. "What is it?"

"Well, between the nurses pumping me full of saline and this rug rat doing tumbling exercises on my bladder, I have to pee again. Damn it!"

I laughed. "Need some help?"

She glared at me. "Unfortunately, yes."

Ten minutes later, Mary was once again settled in bed and the nurse came to take her vitals. When we were alone again, she moaned and rolled onto her left side.

"I can't get comfortable!"

"Baby's active?"

She snorted. "He was doing stretching exercises a little while ago and now I think he's got the hiccups!"

I smiled. "May I?" I nodded towards her belly.

She narrowed her eyes at me for a long minute before finally shrugging and lifting up the bottom of her gown to expose her belly. With a trembling hand, I reached out and palmed her belly, waiting to feel the movement. When it came, I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face.

"That's so amazing," I whispered.

She snorted again. "Maybe for you, doofus, but he's not inside of you!" She moaned again and I felt the baby stretch under my fingertips.

"Can I try something? It might help calm him."

She narrowed her eyes at me again as I leaned my face close to her belly. "What are you doing down there?"

I looked up into her suspicious jade eyes. "Trust me, Mer."

Slowly I felt her body relax. "All right, pervis, but I'm keeping my eye on you."

I chuckled and nodded before I turned my attention back to her belly and the active baby within. Clearing my throat, I began to hum softly. "'Dodo, l'enfant do, L'enfant dormira bien vite. Dodo, l'enfant do, l'enfant dormira bientôt. Tout le monde est sage Dans le voisinage. Il est l'heure d'aller dormer. Le sommeil va bientôt venir.'"

Part of me was afraid that I had forgotten the French lullaby that my mama had sung to me as a child – but as I sat in that hospital room with my hand on Mary's belly the words came rushing back to me. I sang softly, not caring if Mary heard the words or not, only wanting to somehow reach the child inside of her and lull him to sleep so that both of them could get some much needed rest.

I had no idea how much time had passed before I felt Mary's hand on my head and I lifted my eyes to hers, surprised to find that her eyes were unnaturally bright with unshed tears.

"Marshall, he's settled down," she whispered. "I think he's gone to sleep."

I smiled. "Is he off your bladder?"

She smiled back. "Yes – what was that song?"

"A French lullaby that my mama used to sing. She used to sing it to me when I was still in her tummy – it calmed me down – so I thought maybe-" I shrugged.

Mary shook her head, her hand still in my hair. "You are a man of many talents, Marshall. Here I thought you were just a man with a pregnancy fetish."

I took a deep breath. "There's only woman I have a fetish for – pregnant or not."

She stared at me for a long moment before she removed her hand and shifted slightly on the bed.. "Marshall, don't-" she paused and closed her eyes. "Don't fall for me."

I sat up and gently pressed my lips to hers, a thrill running through me when she leaned towards me and not away. Not wanting to press my luck I kept the contact brief.

"You're six years too late with that advice, Mer."

I watched as she bit her lip nervously. "Six _**years**_?"

I chuckled. "What? You thought it was love at first sight?"

She collapsed back against the pillows and nervously ran a hand through her hair. "I can't believe you're telling me this – I can't believe you're telling me this now! When I'm knocked up with another man's child! When I've made a shit fest of my life, Marshall! I mean, could my life be any more complicated? Any more-" She waved her hand searching for the right word.

I leaned forward. "Messy?" I whispered the word against her lips, watching as her breath caught when the significance of that word registered. "I believe I told you once upon a time that maybe messy is what you needed – and I happen to like messy."

This time she did turn her head away. "I can't deal with this right now. Do you realize all the crap I have to do and I have no idea how I'm going to get it done now? I haven't even made an appointment at the adoption agency yet and now I'm on bed rest for the rest of my fucking pregnancy! And Brandi is nagging me that I really need to tell Mark that I'm having his baby – as if he deserves to know or something. Although I think she may have already told him because he's been calling me for the past week and leaving messages and-"

I grabbed her hands in mine and squeezed them. "Mer, first thing tomorrow we'll make a list about the adoption agency, Mark, and all the other priorities concerning your pregnancy, all right? But for now, you just need to get some sleep."

"But what about-"

I held a finger to her lips. "I'm not going anywhere – haven't I proven that to you by now? Sleep – we have time to figure us out later."

Mary curled back onto her left side but before she fell asleep she reached out and captured my hand, entwining her fingers with mine. For my tough as nails, "I don't need anyone" partner, it was a beginning.

I was nodding off in the uncomfortable plastic chair when I heard Mary's cell phone vibrate on the little table by the bed. With my free hand I picked it up and looked at the screen to see who was calling.

**_MARK_**

With my heart in my throat, I pushed ignore so the call would go to voicemail and then turned her phone off.

It looked like tomorrow was going to be the day that Mark got the news about his impending fatherhood . . . and my self-appointed role of surrogate father would be coming to an end.

* * *

><p><strong>Why has Mark been calling? What will happen to our hero when the "real" father finds out Mary's pregnant? Stay tuned - reviews are L-O-V-E!<strong>


End file.
